Method of producing a vehicle body

ABSTRACT

A vehicle such as a railroad car is constructed by connecting together side and roof blocks, each equipped with interior components, in a manner to improve the outer appearance of the connections between the side and roof blocks. Longitudinal beams of the side blocks are in contact with the under surfaces of gutters formed by the outer plate of the roof block. The side and roof blocks, equipped with the interior components, are connected together at the gutter portions by a welding which can be conducted solely outside the vehicle. Inside the vehicle, the longitudinal beams and joints secured to the side blocks are connected to lateral beams of the roof block by rivets. Thereafter, a third interior plate is provided between interior plates of the side and roof blocks. Since the connections are formed at the gutter portions, the connecting operations can easily be conducted outside the vehicle and in a manner to assure a good outer appearance.

This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 873,182, filed Apr. 24,1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,554.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the body structure of a vehicle, suchas a railroad car, a vehicle running on a guideway, an astride-typemonorail car, a bus, or the like.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The body of a vehicle of this type is formed as a hexahedron, whichconsists of a floor, a roof, walls extending in the longitudinaldirection of the vehicle (referred to as "sides"), and walls extendingin the widthwise direction of the vehicle (referred to as "ends").

This type of vehicle body is generally produced as follows: First, eachof the planes constituting the hexahedron is formed as a block whichconsists of a framework and a board forming an outer surface. Then,these six blocks are assembled and connected together by welding, byusing bolts, or the like. The connecting operation is generallyconducted both inside and outside the vehicle. Subsequently, variouscomponents such as pipes, wires and interior equipment (a floor sheet,interior plates forming the walls and ceiling of the body, seats, windowfittings, and lighting equipment, etc.) are put in the vehicle bodythrough doorways and window provided in the side blocks and the endblocks, and are installed inside the vehicle. An example of such avehicle body is shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.55-31694 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,222,335).

In the above example, the operation of mounting various interiorcomponents is conducted in the inside of the vehicle, that is, in arather small space, resulting in poor operational efficiency. Further,the operation requires a lot of time.

In view of this problem, a system has been proposed according to whichthe six blocks are connected together after the various interiorcomponents have been attached to the inner sides of the blocks. Theassembly of the blocks is conducted by using rivets, bolts and nuts, orthe like. The connection of the side blocks and the roof block issubstantially effected at positions around the roof, inside and outsidethe vehicle. The connection outside the vehicle is effected by fasteningoutwardly protruding end portions of the side blocks to outwardlyprotruding end portions of the roof block by means of rivets or thelike. These outwardly protruding end portions are protected by covers soas to prevent water leakage. The covers are made of stainless steel orthe like. These outwardly protruding end portions also serve as gutters.The connection on the inner side of these portions is also effected bymeans of rivets. The construction described above is disclosed inJapanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 48-64910.

It appears that a problem with the construction shown in JapaneseUtility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 48-64910 is that noconsideration is given to outer appearance or waterproofing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to improve the appearance ofthe joint sections between the side blocks and the roof block of avehicle of the above-described type, in which the side blocks and theroof block are connected together after the interior components havebeen attached thereto.

In accordance with the present invention, the gutters in the uppersections of the side blocks are formed by end portions of an externalplate of the roof block, and the above-mentioned end portions of theexternal plate, which are in or near the gutter sections, are connectedto the side blocks by a connecting means which enables them to beconnected to the side blocks solely by an operation conducted outsidethe vehicle, with an interior plate of the roof block and an interiorplate of each side block being connected together through anintermediation of a third interior plate.

Since the connection of the side blocks and the roof block is conductedin the gutter sections provided in the upper sections of the sideblocks, the connecting operation can be conducted outside the vehicleonly, and that after the interior finish work has been completed. Theconnecting operation can be easily conducted without impairing theappearance of the vehicle even though it is conducted outside thevehicle. Further, since third interior plates are attached aftereffecting the connection of the inner portions of the joint sectionsbetween the roof block and the side blocks, a connection is alsoeffected on the inner side of the joint sections.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a joint section between a side block and aroof block of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle according to theembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a joint section between a side block and aroof block of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a joint section between a side block and aroof block of still another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a joint section between a side block and aroof block of a further embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a joint section between a side block and aroof block of a still further embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a joint section between a side block and aroof block of a still further embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described withreference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

First, the overall construction of the embodiment will be described withreference to FIG. 2. Numeral 100 indicates a floor block; numeral 200indicates side blocks; numeral 300 indicates end blocks; and numeral 400indicates a roof block. The floor block 100, the side blocks 200 and theroof block 400 have the same length as a vehicle to be made. Interiorcomponents are attached to these six blocks before they are connectedtogether to form a hexahedron.

Attached to the lower surface of the floor block are air pipes, electricwiring tubes, various electric apparatuses and pneumatic apparatuses(none of which are shown). Of these components, particularly heavy onesare mounted after the assembly of the blocks.

The floor block 100 is composed of right and left longitudinal beams 101extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a plurality oflateral beams 103 linking these longitudinal beams 101 to each other, afloor board 105 provided on the upper surfaces of these beams andconsisting of a flat metal plate, a light-metal shape member, ahoneycomb panel, or the like, a resin mat 107 provided on the uppersurface of the floor board 105, etc. Provided under the floor arecouplers (not shown) for connecting the vehicle to a bogie or anothervehicle. The strength members 101, 103, 105, etc. are joined to eachother by spot welding or the like except for the mat 107. Thelongitudinal and lateral beams 101 and 103 are formed of stainlesssteel.

Each side block 200 includes: a framework composed of two longitudinalbeams 201, a plurality of columns 205, a plurality of side members 207,an entrance frame 209, etc.; an outer plate 220 attached to the outerside of the framework; an interior plate 230 attached to the inner sideof the framework; window devices 235 equipped with window panes; a doordevice 240; racks 250; seats 260 extending in the longitudinal directionof the vehicle, etc.

Numeral 242 indicates an inspection cover of a drive device for drivingthe door device 240. Since the door device 240 is provided on the sideblock 200, the inspection cover 242 is also provided on the side block200. The racks 250 and the seats 260 are arranged on the interior plate230.

The back sections of the seats 260 are fixed to the above-mentionedframework. The fixation can be effected in various ways. Each seat 260is composed of an L-shaped seat frame, a seat section serving as acushion, and a backrest section. First, the L-shaped frame is fixed tothe above-mentioned framework. For example, reverse-L-shaped hookmembers which are provided on the upper section of the seat frame may beengaged with holes provided on the framework, and then the lower sectionof the seat frame is fixed to the framework by means of bolts or thelike. Alternatively, both the upper and lower sections of the seat framemay be hooked onto the framework, or else, both the upper and lowerframe sections may be fixed to the framework by means of bolts or thelike. Subsequently, the backrest section of the seat is attached to theframe. This attachment is effected by inserting upper hook membersprovided on the backrest into holes in the seat frame, and then fixingthe lower section of the backrest section to the seat frame by means ofbolts or the like. Finally, the seat section is attached to the seatframe by inserting protruding sections on the lower surface of the seatsection into recesses in the seat frame.

The members 201, 202, 205, 207, 209, etc. forming the framework of eachside block 200 are connected to each other by spot welding. The outerplate 220 of each side block 200 is also connected thereto by spotwelding. The interior plate 230 of each side block 200 is fixed to theframework thereof by an adhesive, screws or the like. The framework andthe outer plate 220 are made of stainless steel.

The interior plate 310 of each end block 300 is attached thereto afterthe outer plate thereof has been connected to other associated blocks.

The roof block 400 comprises: a framework composed of a plurality ofarcuate lateral beams 402 and a plurality of longitudinal beams 403 and404 linking the lateral beams 402; an outer plate 410 fixed to thelateral beams 402; rain gutters (hereinafter referred to simply as"gutters") 415; interior plates 420 and 421 joined to the longitudinalbeams 403 and 404; illuminating equipment 430; air-conditioning ducts440, etc.

The longitudinal beams 404 also serve as air conditioning ducts, whichcommunicate with an air conditioner (not shown). Formed in the lowersurfaces of the longitudinal beams 404 are air outlets for airconditioning. Reflectors of the illuminating equipment 430 serve asdiffusers for the air from the air outlets.

The connection of the lateral beams 402 and the longitudinal beams 403and 404 to form the framework and the attachment of the outer plate 410and the interior plates 420 and 421 to this framework are effected bythe same connecting means as used with the side blocks. The lateralbeams 402, the longitudinal beams 403 and 404, and the outer plate 410are made of stainless steel.

The six blocks, constructed as described above, are connected togetherafter they are equipped with interior components. That is, prior to theassembly, each of the side blocks 200 is equipped with the interiorplate 230, the window devices 235, the door device 240, the racks 250,the seats 260, etc. Here, the window devices 235 are substantiallyincapable of being opened or closed. The roof block 400 is equipped withthe interior plates 420 and 421, the illuminating equipment 430, the airconditioning duct 440, etc.

When connecting the lower sections of the side blocks 200 to the floorblock 100, assemblies of the longitudinal beams 202 and the outer plates220 are attached from the outside to the vertical surfaces of thelongitudinal beams 101 of the floor block 100. This attachment isperformed using a method which allows the attaching operation to beconducted on the outside only. For example, it may be performed by anindirect-type spot welding, plug welding, rivets, or the like. Theindirect-type spot welding allows the attaching operation to beconducted only from the outside. Since the floor block 100, on which thewelding is effected, is firmly built, it is possible to employ theabove-mentioned welding method. That is, in this type of welding, one ofthe electrodes is strongly pressed from the outside against the floorblock 100, so that it is necessary for the member which constitutes theother electrode (i.e., the floor block 100) to be strong enough.Regarding an attaching method using rivets, it is possible to use rivets500 described later.

The connection of the end blocks 300 and the floor block 100 can beeffected in the same manner as described above.

FIG. 1 shows a joint section between one of the side blocks 200 and theroof block 400. Provided at each side edge of the width of the roofblock 400 is a gutter 415 which is formed by upwardly bending an endportion of the outer plate 410. A bottom section 415b of each gutter 415is substantially horizontal. Each gutter 415 further includes a verticalsection 415c, an upper end portion 415d the top end of which is bentinwardly. Each gutter 415 is situated at the upper end of each sideblock 200, which is substantially vertical.

The structure of the upper end portion of each side block 200 will nowbe described. The longitudinal beam 201 is bent in such a manner as tobe in contact with the lower surfaces of the lateral beams 402, theinner vertical section 415a of the gutter 415, the bottom section 415bof the same, and the outer plate 220. Each column 205 has a sectionalchannel-like configuration and is equipped with an end flange 205c,which is secured to the outer plate 220 by spot welding. The lower endof the longitudinal beam 201 is placed between the flange 205c of eachcolumn 205 and the outer plate 220, with these three members beingconnected together by spot welding.

The outer plate 220, which is situated below the gutter 415, has anupward extension formed as an upper and section 220a which is bent insuch a manner as to be in contact with the outer vertical section 415cof the gutter 415. That section of the outer plate 220 which extendsbetween the upper section 220a, which is in contact with the verticalgutter section 415c, and the rest of the outer plate 220 is formed as anoblique section which is not in contact with the bottom section 415b ofthe gutter 415.

Fixed to the upper interior section of each column 205 by spot weldingis a joint 211 for joining the column to the roof block 400. The upperend of the joint 211 is fixed by spot welding to the lower side of theupper end section 201b of the longitudinal beam 201. The joint 211 ismade of stainless steel.

Reference numeral 215 indicates an elongated mounting seat for theinterior plate 230. The mounting seat 215 is attached to the columns 205by spot welding and extends in the longitudinal direction of thevehicle. The interior plate 230 is attached to the mounting seat 215 bymeans of an adhesive, screws, or the like.

The operation of connecting the side blocks 200 to the roof block 400will now be described. After the side blocks 200 and the outer plates ofthe end blocks 300 have been connected to the floor block 100 and theside blocks 200 and the end blocks 300 have been connected together, theroof block 400 is lowered and placed on the side blocks 200. Then, thesections 415a, 415b and 415c of the gutter 415 are brought into contactwith the longitudinal beams 201c and 201d of the side blocks 200 and theouter plates 220. The upper end sections 220a of the outer plates 220are inclined toward the gutters 415. However, since there is a roundedportion between the bottom section 415b and the vertical section 415c ofeach gutter 415, the upper end portions 220a of the vertical outerplates 220 can be diverged to allow the gutters 415 to be fitted intothe side blocks 200. Since there is a inclined section 220e between theupper section 220a and the rest of each vertical outer plate 220, theupper end section 220a can be inclined and then easily restored to aposition in which the upper end section 220a is in contact with thevertical section 415c of each gutter 415.

The side blocks 200 and the roof block 400 are connected with each otherat the following three positions:

The upper end section 220a of each outer plate 220 is connected to thevertical section 415c of each gutter 415 by spot welding, as indicatedat W1. Since the width of the gutter 415 is so sized as to allow theinsertion of one of welding electrodes used, welding can be conductedacross the upper end section 220a of the outer plate 220 and thevertical section 415c of the gutter 415.

Further, the bottom section 415b of each gutter 415 and the flat section201d of each longitudinal beam 201 is welded to each other, as indicatedat W2, by a welding method which can only be conducted from the outside.Examples of the welding method to be adopted include arc spot welding,series spot welding, in which two electrodes arranged in parallel areused, and plug welding. In any case, the electrodes are set on theoutside. Here, arc spot welding and series spot welding are preferable.In particular, series spot welding is most preferable in respect ofvehicle appearance after welding.

The upper ends of the joints 211, the upper sections 201b of thelongitudinal beams 201, and the lateral beams 402 are connected togetherfrom the inside by using rivets 500. Each rivet 500 is composed, forexample, of a cylinder, a pin extending therethrough and a clampingmember. The cylinder is inserted into holes provided in the two platesto be connected together. The clamping member is set on the side of theoperator, and the pin is pulled using the clamping member as a guide toenlarge the tip end of the cylinder, thereby fixing the pin to theclamping member. In this way, the two plates are firmly connected toeach other. This rivet 500 is well known per se.

After the connection of these components has thus been effected, aninterior plate 510 is attached to the mounting seat 215 and thelongitudinal beam 403. The interior plate 510 is attached by means of anadhesive, screws, or the like. Further, the gap between the upper endsection 220a of each outer plate 220 and the vertical section 415c ofeach gutter 415 is sealed with a sealing material. The upper end portion415d of the gutter 415 may be bent outwardly so as to cover the gapbetween the vertical section 415c and the upper end section 220a,thereby facilitating the sealing.

As described above, the side blocks 200 and the roof block 400 areconnected to each other on the side of the outer plates 220 and 410.Further, the inner sides of the frameworks of the blocks are alsoconnected to each other. Since the attachment is thus effected bothoutside and inside, a firm connection can be realized.

Of the two kinds of connecting means used for the sections of thegutters 415, spot welding is used in connecting the outer verticalsections 415c of the gutters 415 to the upper end sections 220a of theouter plates 220. Although the spot welding entails discoloration, thereis an established method available which helps to eliminate suchdiscoloration and which can be applied relatively easily. Therefore,although the sections where the outer plates 220 and the verticalsection of the gutters 415 are connected to each other by spot weldingare visible from the outside, the spot does not lead to anydeterioration in the outer appearance of the vehicle. The sections wherethe welding of the bottom sections 415b is effected are not visible fromthe outside, so that there is no deterioration in outer appearance afterthe welding. Accordingly, it is possible to produce a vehicle having asatisfactory outer appearance even though the welding is performed onthe outside. Further, it should be noted that welding is moreadvantageous than rivets in that welding is less expensive and requiresno waterproofing.

Further, since spot welding is employed for connecting the outervertical section 415c of each gutter 415 to the upper end section 220aof each outer plate 220, the welding operation is relatively easy andcan be conducted at short intervals along the length of the vehicle. Asa result, a firm connection can be obtained in these sections.Accordingly, the welding interval for the bottom sections 415b can bemade large, thus facilitating the welding. Therefore, a substantialreduction in the production cost can be attained on the whole. Where asufficiently firm connection can be obtained by the spot welding W1only, the welding of the bottom sections 415b can be omitted.

As described above, in this embodiment, end portions of the outer plate410 of the roof block 400 are bent so as to form gutters 415 havingvertical sections 415c, on which the outer plates 220 of the side blocksare superimposed. Due to this arrangement, it is only necessary for thesealing material for bonding the roof block 400 to each side block 200to be applied to a single position, which is not the case with theexamples shown in FIGS. 3, 5 and 6.

The weldings W1 and W2 are conducted outside the vehicle. By "outside"it is meant to say that all the instruments needed for the connectingoperation (for example, the welding electrodes) are placed outside thevehicle. Accordingly, the interior plates 230 and 420 are not affectedby sputters. The connection on the inner side is effected by using therivets 500, which means that the interior plates 230 and 420 are notaffected by sputters. The connection using the rivets 500 can beconducted solely inside the vehicle. In other words, all the instrumentsneeded for the connecting operation (for example, a device for pullingpins) may be set inside the vehicle. In this way, each connectingoperation can be conducted either only outside or only inside thevehicle, so that the connection can be effected even with the windowdevices 235 and the interior plates 230 and 420 attached to the blocksbeforehand.

Since the longitudinal beams 201 fixed to the side blocks 200 are bent,there is no possibility that the side blocks are bent while they areindependently conveyed, and thus can be easily handled. Further, thevertical sections 415c and 220a serve as positioning members when theroof block 400 is lowered toward the side blocks 200.

If the connection at only the bottom sections 415b of the gutters 415 isnot sufficient, or if it is desired to omit the welding of the bottomsections 415b, the upper end of the inner vertical section 415a of eachgutter 415 (a border section between the gutter 415 and the roofsection) is welded to the vertical section 201c of each longitudinalbeam 201 to form a welding W3, by the same welding method as used above.The position of this welding W3 is determined at a level as low aspossible. This section is hardly visible from the outside. Moreover, inthe case of a railroad car, an insulating paint or an insulating sheetis applied thereto, so that the welding does not affect the outerappearance of the vehicle. The welding W3 is shown in FIG. 3.

Rivets 500 may be used as the means for connecting the bottom section415b of each gutter 415 to the associated longitudinal beam 201d. Inthat case, a sufficient waterproof sealing has to be provided.

The upper sections 220a of the outer plates 220 in contact with thevertical sections 415c of the gutters 415 may be prepared as separatemembers independent of the outer plates. In that case, these separatemembers are fixed by spot welding to those sections of the outer plates220 registered with the columns 205 prior to the connection of the roofblock 400 and the side blocks 200. The vehicle body assembling operationdescribed above is also applicable to vehicle bodies having no gutters.

Other embodiments of the means for connecting the side blocks 200 to theroof block 400 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. Inthese drawings, the interior members 230, 420 and 510 are not shown. Asealing material for waterproofing is applied to the joint sectionsbetween the plate sections forming the gutters 415 and the sectionsaround the same. However, a description of this arrangement will beomitted here.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the lower end section 201e of eachlongitudinal beam 201 is situated outside the outer plate 220. The lowerend section 201e of each longitudinal beam 201 is connected to the outerplate 220 by spot welding. The side block 200 and the roof block 400 arewelded to each other at positions indicated at W2 and W3.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the gutter 415 is situated outsidethe columns 205. The upper end sections 220b and 220a of each outerplate 220 are in contact with the bottom section 415b and the verticalsection 415c of each gutter 415. The vertical section 415c and thebottom section 415b of each gutter 415 are connected to the associatedouter plate 220 by spot welding as indicated at W1 and W4. Thisarrangement helps to reduce the production costs. Unlike the beam 201 ofthe embodiment of FIG. 3, the beam 201 in this embodiment has no section201d. The lower end 201e is spot-welded to the outer plate 220. Theupper end sections 220b and 220a may consist of a separate memberspot-welded to the outer plate 220.

Next, the embodiment of FIG. 5 will be described. In this embodiment,the outer plate 410 has no vertical sections 415c forming the gutters415. Instead, the outer side edge portion of each longitudinal beam 201is raised to form a vertical section 201g to form the gutter 415. Thelongitudinal beam 201 has a bottom section 201d and an inner verticalsection 201c which are spot-welded to the outer plate 410 as indicatedat W5 and W6. The upper section 201b of each longitudinal beam 201 andthe upper end portion of each joint 211 are welded to the lateral beams402. The longitudinal beams 201 constitute a part of the outer plate ofthe roof block 400. This arrangement facilitates the connection of theside blocks 200 and the roof block 400 at the positions of the gutters415. The bottom sections 415b may be omitted.

In this embodiment, the lower section of each joint 211 is connected tothe columns 205 by rivets 500 after the side blocks 200 and the roofblock 400 have been assembled together. To facilitate the lowering ofthe roof block 400, the lower end portion 211c of each joint 211 is bentinwardly. The connection of each side block 200 and the roof block 400is effected by welding as indicated at W1 and the rivets 500.

Further, as in the case of the embodiments of FIGS. 1 through 4, it ispossible for the joints 211 to be secured to the side blocks 200beforehand and connected to the lateral beams 402 by means of rivets 500after the assembling of the side blocks 200 and the roof block 400.

Next, the embodiment of FIG. 6 will be described. This embodimentincludes longitudinal beams 290 which are in contact with the innersides of the upper end sections 220a of the outer plates 220 of the sideblocks 200 and with the interior sides of the columns 205. The sectionof each longitudinal beam 290 between the outer plate 220 and thecolumns 205 is horizontal. The longitudinal beams 201, which have nosections 201e, are spot-welded to the roof block 400. The side blocks200, equipped with the longitudinal beams 290, and the roof block 400,equipped with the longitudinal beams 201, are assembled with each other.By placing an edge portion of the roof block 400 on the horizontalsection of each longitudinal beam 290, a gutter 415 is formed. Thehorizontal sections of the longitudinal beams 290 and the edge portionsof the roof block 400 are connected together by means of rivets 500.

The embodiment of FIG. 7 will now be described. In this embodiment, thelower ends 201e of the longitudinal beams 201 are situated outside theouter plates 220, and the gutters 415 are situated still more outwardly.The gutters 415 are formed solely by the outer plate 410. The innervertical sections 415a of the gutters 415 overlap the lower edgeportions 201e of the longitudinal beams 201. The outer vertical sections415a of the gutters 415 are connected to the blocks 200 from the outsideby means of rivets 500. Further, this embodiment employs joints 211Bwhich have the function of the joints 211 and that of the mounting seats215.

In accordance with the present invention, the side blocks and the roofblock are connected together at the gutter sections provided at theupper sections of the side blocks, so that the connecting operation canbe conducted solely outside the vehicle and after the interior finishwork has been completed. Further, the connecting operation can be easilyconducted without impairing the outer appearance of the vehicle eventhough the connecting operation is conducted outside the vehicle.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of producing a vehicle body comprising:afirst step of preparing, independently, a pair of side blocks eachforming a side of the vehicle and having an exterior plate, a framework,an interior plate and a seat, a floor block having a floor board and aframework, a pair of end blocks each having an exterior plate and aframework, and a roof block forming a roof of the vehicle and having anexterior plate, a framework and an interior plate, the seats of saidside blocks being fixedly provided on the sides of the side blocks whichare to be disposed adjacent a passenger compartment of the vehicle aftersaid side blocks are connected to the other blocks; and a second step ofconnecting together said pair of side blocks, said pair of end blocks,said roof block and said floor block,wherein each of said side blocks isproduced in said first step by first connecting together the exteriorplate and framework of the side block, then fastening the interior plateof the side block to the framework of the side block, and then fixingsaid seat to the framework of said side block such that the fixed seatis disposed on the side of said side block interior plate which isadjacent the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
 2. A method ofproducing a vehicle body, comprising:a first step of preparing,independently, a pair of side blocks each forming a side of the vehicleand having an exterior plate, a framework, an interior plate and a seat,a floor block having a floor board and a framework, a pair of end blockseach having an exterior plate and a framework, and a roof block forminga roof of the vehicle and having an exterior plate, a framework and aninterior plate, the seats of said side blocks being fixedly provided onthe sides of the side blocks which are to be disposed adjacent apassenger compartment of the vehicle after said side blocks areconnected to the other blocks; and a second step of connecting togethersaid pair of side blocks, said pair of end blocks, said roof block andsaid floor block;wherein each of said side blocks is produced in saidfirst step by first connecting together the exterior plate and frameworkof the side block, then fastening the interior plate of the side blockto the framework of the side block, and then fixing said seat to theframework of said side block such that the fixed seat is disposed on theside of said side block interior plate which is adjacent the passengercompartment of the vehicle; wherein said first step includes providingsaid side blocks with door devices; wherein said first step includesproviding said side blocks with overhead storage racks; wherein saidfirst step includes providing said roof block with air ducts; whereinsaid first step includes providing said roof block with light units.